You've got to respect the classics. And since the developers (or rights owners) of games like Civilization, Starcraft, and Age of Empires aren't releasing their classics on Android, or they're turning them into twisted versions of the originals, strategy fans need an alternative. Enter ExaGear, an emulator designed to let those fans play at least some of the classic PC strategy games on Android, complete with controls adapted for precision.

The first thing you'll need is a copy of your old game. ExaGear Strategies doesn't include any copyrighted game files - as it clearly states in the app description, you'll need to copy your legally-obtained files from a desktop over to your Android device, either directly or via a MicroSD card. Officially, ExaGear supports Heroes of Might and Magic 3, Disciples 2, and Civilization 3, though many more games are at least playable in the emulator.

Even two decades or more after release, some of these x86 games are tough in an emulated environment. 2D sprite-based strategy titles fare a lot better than those with polygonal characters, and even then, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the adapted control scheme. It's offered in two flavors, "Helium" and "Cuprum," which tend to work better or worse depending on the game you're playing. Naturally, the whole thing just works better on a tablet with a larger screen, though the low-res graphics of these old PC games seem to lend themselves surprisingly well towards finger taps.

Developer Eltechs is constantly working on improving support for specific titles, and they offer a lot of help for frustrated emulation fans on their website. According to a Digital Trends write-up, Eltechs is also working on a modified version for old RPGs. The emulator is free on the Play Store with a three-day trial. After that, you'll need to shell out $7 for one control scheme, or a combined $14 for both. For other Windows game emulation options, check out Winulator, which unfortunately hasn't been updated in about a year.

But it is nice knowing that there are ways to relive gaming of the past. It's one thing to go in to my closet and pull out the Sega Genesis and fire up some old-school games because the system still works; however, I have all of these great games from the late 90s, early 00s that just don't function well (if at all) on any newer PC... and my last PC running XP (with fully XP-functioning hardware) was built in 04. I can't imagine it has a lot of life left in it.

I would like to point out that I do actually still own almost every game I've ever purchased (dating back to the Sega Master System). But that's just me.

Steve Williamson

i wouldnt be surprised if they owned it at some point. I mean who really gets excited about playing a old game that they never owned? its hard to get into 10-20 year old games without having the memories of what it use to be like in your head

DanSan

i know have a closest filled with those game cd jewel cases with the cd keys on the back somewhere. brings back memories of when you actually bought PC games in a box. strange concept, i know.

h4rr4r

I do.
Not sure all of them do, but some surely do.

Semianonymous

I've got every copy of age of empires I've ever bought in a box nearby.

You never know when the need to play aoe will strike.

mateor

Beloko games has this exact same model with all the old id games (Doom Touch, Quake, Wolfenstein, etc.) I bought those games on Steam and then used the pak files to play the games on my tablet. Totally great, and good for the original developers as well.